Some folks might go for the fat-free chips on account of them having no fat. Wrong. It’s much better to eat the almonds.

Why?

They are much better for you in terms of nutrition, fiber content, and they’re not processed with who know what added in the flavorings that chips (fat-free or not) often contain.

Also watch out for things like calorie-free drinks. They might seem better for you than the calorie-laden, HFCS containing regular varieties, but more and more studies are pointing toward some artificial sweetener being possible carcinogens.

Well, baby-fat turns into ‘puppy’ fat which turns into adult fat. Kids that are overweight, are more likely to turn into adults that remain overweight.

It can sometimes be traced to genetics, but it’s more often down to too much food, particularly junk food, and too little exercise.

Kids used to play in the street, or at the park, and more and more now sit in front of the computer, TV, or games console for hours on end instead.

Kids don’t need to be put on fancy diets either. That can often promote unhealthy ideas later in life, and give kids the impression that they need to be picky and fussy about what they eat. It’s good for parents to lead by example. No good telling junior they shouldn’t eat candy or fast food junk and should exercise if they frequently see you snacking on chocolate or pizza while not moving from the couch all day.

It’s no going to work if you suddenly decide to go on a healthy eating regime, and expect them to follow along without protest either.

Just stop buying one or two items. Cut back on chips. Let them have one bag a week, not three bags a day. The same with soda. It works best for ourselves, and for kids too, if we’re gradually weaned off the junk.

Try and make time to sit at the dinner table and eat, not at the TV. It promotes family conversation too, and gives you an opportunity to show enthusiasm for healthy options, by talking about them. Educate kids about what is best for them, but don’t ban them from junk totally or they’ll simply rebel and go buy it with their allowance behind your back in any case.

Often too, it’s good to cut back on portion size. Remember that your body takes about 20 mins to tell your brain that’s it’s full, so try and eat more slowly. Make it more of a family event, rather than the latest TV episode. You’ll all enjoy your food more, and less food will be more filling, and without feeling stuffed and bloated afterward.

Under 20% of kids eat the recommended servings of three or more servings of fruit and vegetables each day. Nearly half of parents say their kids eat one serving on none at all.

Many snack products from major food processing companies are marketed as ‘healthy options’ or as ‘low fat’ or with ‘added fiber’ etc.

Think you’re doing your kids a favor by giving them ‘low-fat’ chips? Perhaps it’s very slightly better than regular chips, but it’s still stacking up some extra fat they don’t really need;

extra salt they shouldn’t require, and perhaps in a way most importantly, they have very little nutritional value.

Really you’re wasting your money – after all, isn’t food meant to sustain us, and in the case of children in particular, help them to grow?

Why not give them easy to eat fruit instead? An apple, a banana or clementines? They all all good sources of fiber, vitamin C, and minerals.

Encorage your kids (and yourself!) to eat more fruit and veggies by having them around the house in bowls. You’ll all be more inclined to eat your dinner too, if you snack on fruit after they come home from school, as it won’t spoil your appetites.